


Gwaine’s Day Out (The A Little Help Here Remix)

by AJsRandom



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Friendship, Gen, Gwaine is impressed, Magic, Merlin is awesome, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 04:57:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19055680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJsRandom/pseuds/AJsRandom
Summary: When Gwaine volunteers to accompany Merlin on an herb-picking trip, he has no idea what's in store.





	Gwaine’s Day Out (The A Little Help Here Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clotpolesonly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clotpolesonly/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Little Help Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3395582) by [clotpolesonly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clotpolesonly/pseuds/clotpolesonly). 



> Dear Clotpolesonly, I hope you enjoy this little remix! I had fun reading your Merlin stories and enjoyed them all. :)

It all began on the training field. Gwaine noticed Arthur and Merlin arguing about something. He thought “why not?” and sidled over to see what they were arguing about. It had to be more interesting than training.

“Merlin’s trying to get himself killed again,” Arthur had explained.

“Can’t have that, can we?” Gwaine had stated.

“I am not. I’m picking bloody herbs,” Merlin had said. Not for the first time, from the sound of it.

"In heart of bandit territory," Arthur replied vociferously.

“Sounds like fun. I’m in.” Gwaine had smiled then ruffled Merlin’s hair, clapped Arthur on the shoulder, and went back to his training. He’d been confident that the problem was fully resolved. He hadn’t noticed Merlin and Arthur still glaring at each other. At least they hadn’t this morning when Merlin and Gwaine had set out.

They didn’t talk a whole lot on the way to the Valley of the Fallen Kings. That is, Gwaine talked and Merlin mostly listened, offering a few comments here and there. Gwaine couldn’t help it; he was a natural talker and could find plenty to talk about. He knew Merlin could too, but that his friend had too much on his mind to be talking much.

When at last they reached the spot in the Valley where Merlin needed to pick, they stopped and Merlin immediately knelt to assault the patch of plants whose roots he needed. Gwaine scouted the area around him, ranging out into the forest now and then, searching for something to do. No bandits presented themselves, so he returned to Merlin’s position and began pacing.

After a few minutes, pulled out his sword to look at it in the bright sunlight. Then he asked, “Remind me again why we’re out here?”

Merlin waited before answering Gwaine. He pulled out a root and put it in his bag before turning took look over his shoulder at Gwaine. He hid a smile and turned back to rooting around in the earth. “We’re picking herbs, Gwaine,” he said, sounding a bit put-out.

“You mean  _you’re_  picking herbs,” Gwaine replied, sheathing his sword. “Why am I here?” When it came right down to it, Merlin probably had the power to defend himself out here.

“Because this is the only place this particular plant grows around here, and it just so happens to be dangerous and filled with bloodthirsty bandits,” Merlin told him. “Also, coincidentally, you volunteered to escort me.”

Gwaine felt like arguing that point, even though Merlin was right. “Arthur told me to.”

“No, Arthur said  _someone_  had to accompany me. He didn’t specify it had to be you.”

“Yeah, well,” Gwaine sighed. “I thought bandits would be more exciting.”

Merlin snorted but seemed to ignore Gwaine’s griping. Gwaine began whistling, just for something to do. He wandered over to a peculiar-looking bush at the other side of the clearing from Merlin. He drew his sword again and began poking at it. “So how many of those things do you need?”

“As many as I can carry,” Merlin called back. “The more I get now, the longer it’ll be before I get sent out here again.”

“Ah, this isn’t so bad,” Gwaine said, even though it was pretty boring for him. “Better than skivvying for princess, eh?”

“I suppose you’re right about that,” Merlin replied. “No horrid-smelling socks out here.”

“Only blue sky and fresh air.” Gwaine lay down on the ground next to Merlin and put his hands behind his head. Merlin hit him lightly, probably trying to push him away.

“Careful! You’re going to squash what I came for, and then Gaius is going to squash  _you_.”

“Let him try!” Gwaine said. “I think I could take him.”

“Gaius could kill you before you even knew you’d made his hit list. Do you have any idea how many poisons he has in his chambers?”

Yeah, he probably does. “Sneak attacks don’t count,” Gwaine replied.

“They do if they succeed in killing you.” Merlin looked like that cat that ate the canary.

“Bah!” Gwaine waved a hand in the air, not concerned about Gaius’ poisons. Merlin held up one of the strange roots Gaius had sent him out for, squinting at it deviously. Uh oh.

“You know,” he said, smirking, “I’m pretty sure these can kill you too.”

Gwaine looked up at him, skeptical. Yeah, sure. “Is that so?”

“Oh yes,” Merlin said solemnly. “If they’re used properly. Like . . . _this_.” Merlin dropped the root, right onto Gwaine’s forehead. Then he climbed out of Gwaine’s reach.

Gwaine shouted and whacked at Merlin. It didn’t take long for him to catch up and tackle Merlin facedown to the ground. Gwaine sat on the backs of his legs and pinned his arms down.

“Uncle! Uncle!” Merlin cried, laughing. Gwaine released him and Merlin rolled onto his back.

“You little shit,” Gwaine said. He wasn’t angry, just amused at his friend’s cheek. He stood and offered Merlin a hand up. He reached out to ruffle Merlin’s hair, which Merlin accepted, but just barely. “You’ll need to faster to get away with something like that, little man.”

“Little man?” Merlin said huffily. “I’m taller than you!”

“Doesn’t mean you’re not little,” Gwaine said. He poked a finger into Merlin’s chest then wrapped a hand around Merlin’s bicep and clucked his tongue. “Yup,” he added, “little.” Merlin gave him a weak shove and Gwaine shoved him back, knocking him off balance. Merlin pushed him harder, and then they were running again. Merlin looked like he was actually trying.

Merlin sped through the trees, leaping now and then. Gwaine pounded along behind him, the distance between them kept only because Merlin’s legs were actually longer than Gwaine’s. Gwaine shouted after him, calling him colorful names and creative insults. But Merlin keep running, darting from tree trunk to tree trunk and twisting occasionally, when the ground was clear, to look over his shoulder and see where Gwaine was. He looked like he was laughing and enjoying himself, which Gwaine knew he didn’t get to do that often.

Suddenly, Merlin collided with something. Gwaine started laughing. Now he’d be able to catch him. He was still laughing when Merlin turned around and began running toward him. Merlin grabbed his arm as he passed, shouting, “Run! Now!” Gwaine spun immediately and started sprinting alongside him.

“I thought  _Arthur_  was supposed to be the one attracting danger like flies to honey,” Gwaine said, going for ironic even as they ran for their lives.

“Yeah, well,” Merlin gasped, “they’ve obviously changed their minds about who makes the more appealing target.  _Less talking, more running_.”

Gwaine pushed forward to take the lead, hoping Merlin kept close behind. He didn’t understand how the day had gone so wrong. He’d just been trying to keep his friend company and now this. The sounds of a horde of angry men thundering through the undergrowth followed behind them.

They might have been able to outrun them long enough to find some sort of shelter to hide in if they hadn’t gravely miscalculated their direction and ended up at the edge of a cliff. Gwaine had to dig his heels into the ground and fling out an arm and catch Merlin hard in the chest to keep them both from careening over the edge. Gwaine turned to face their pursuers. The bandits began to trickle out of the trees, each with a smile on his face as they realized that their quarry was trapped. He drew the sword at his hip and held it ready, even though it seemed like it wouldn’t do any good.

“Merlin,” he said. “You know I’m always one to pick the long odds, but this isn’t a bet even I would take. I could use a little help here.”

“Help?” Merlin asked. “What the hell sort of help are you expecting from me? I don’t have a sword, and I’m pretty useless with one anyway.”

Of course he didn’t know Gwaine knew his secret. “Er, no, Merlin. The other kind of help.” Merlin stared at him, perplexed. Gwaine huffed a frustrated sigh. “You know.  _Help_.” He wiggled the fingers of his hand not holding his sword, to indicate magic. Merlin stared a bit more, puzzled, until Gwaine finally ground out, “ _Magic,_  Merlin, I mean  _magic._ ”

“ _What_?”

Glancing at the bandits, Gwaine cringed. They seemed to have tired of watching their prey cower. One of the larger ones held up his crossbow, calling over his shoulder at the others to ready their weapons. Panicking, Gwaine called Merlin’s name once more.

Finally Merlin seemed to snap out of whatever shock he was in and threw out a hand. A glittering shield sprang into being around them just in time to catch the burst of incoming bolts and crush them in midair. They fell to the ground in little heaps of splinters and arrowheads. Gwaine all but collapsed in relief beside Merlin.

“Thanks, mate. Cut it a little close there, but—”

“How long have you known?” Merlin demanded. He turned to face Gwaine fully. Gwaine looked up at him, keeping half an eye on their attackers, who were firing again.

Gwaine pointed to the shield. “Merlin, do you really want to have this conversation right now? We’re sort of under attack.”

“Dragonfire couldn't get through this shield, Gwaine,” Merlin said. He paid no attention to the man who had come forward to slash at the shield with a sword. Gwaine glanced at the man in alarm. “I highly doubt a handful of bandits are going to manage it. How long have you known??” Merlin repeated.

“Perilous Lands,” Gwaine said. He watched the nearest bandit with fascination now that he was sure of the shield's strength. He reached out to touch the surface where the man was trying doggedly to force his sword through and having absolutely no luck.

Merlin reached out to pull him back, annoyed. “Stop that,” he scolded. “The Perilous Lands was over a year ago, Gwaine. What the hell?”

“What?” Gwaine asked, a little indignant. “I figured if you wanted me to know then you’d tell me. Otherwise, it’s your business and none of mine.” The bandit in front, infuriated at his failure, yelled to his buddies and another six men came barreling toward them, throwing their backs into hacking on the shield.

Merlin made an irritated noise at the increase of racket they brought with them and pushed his hand forward a bit, increasing the magic and shoving the shield outward, knocking the bandits off their feet and making them angrier.

“Should you really be doing that?” Gwaine asked, a little nervous. “Antagonizing them? I mean, can you defeat them all? Maybe get us out of here alive?”

“Of course I can get us out, Gwaine,” Merlin retorted. He looked to be in a bad mood from all this. “And I don’t need to defeat them.  I just need to scare them.” Merlin pushed his hand forward again, knocking them all off their feet once more, then the shield disappeared. Gwaine drew back behind him, wary of the deadly possibilities. Merlin raised a hand in front of him but didn’t do anything just yet.

“Drop your weapons and I will allow you to leave this place with your lives,” Merlin called out. A ripple of laughter went through the bandits, a few of them slapping their knees or pounding each other on the back in mirth.

“We yield to no one, puny sorcerer,” the lead bandit said. “We’ve held this valley for years and we will not be driven out by the likes of you.” Gwaine watched Merlin tense up. After that show of force, they seemed to not recognize real power when they saw it.

“I will grant you one more chance,” Merlin said. “Leave us in peace or you die where you stand.” The bandits roared with laughter at his threat. They seemed to be taking in his thin stature and threadbare appearance and drawing the same conclusion that everyone did; he was harmless, a hedgewizard at best. Gwaine thought that this would be their last mistake, if he had the correct measure of Merlin’s power.

“Take them out,” the lead bandit ordered.

Merlin sighed then conjured up flames in his hands without words. The ball grew rapidly until it spilled out of his grasp and began to twist in the air in front of them. The bandits at the front hesitated and took a hasty step back as Merlin’s flames began to spin. They leapt and cavorted, growing higher until there was a whirling pillar of fire that scorched the ground. This made the bandits raise their hands to guard their faces from the heat. It didn’t take long for every single one to turn tail and flee back into the woods. Many dropped their weapons and left them behind without a backward glance.

When the last of them had disappeared, Merlin dropped his hands and let his conjuration recede into nothing. He sighed and turned back to Gwaine. Gwaine felt almost as dumbstruck as the bandits had been. Merlin had done incredible magic, without much apparent effort. Merlin rolled his eyes, turned and began walking. Gwaine quickly fell in behind him.

"Merlin, mate, where the hell did  _that_  come from?"

" _That_  wasn't much of anything. Showy, but easy," Merlin replied. "Well," he amended, "I say  _easy_. Easy for me, at least."

"Easy for you?" Gwaine repeated. "And for everyone else?"

"Not as easy, but nowhere near as difficult as that shield. Why does no one ever appreciate defensive magic? It's vastly underrated."

"You said dragonfire couldn't get through that shield," Gwaine recalled, "and you sounded pretty sure of that. Had plenty of opportunities to test that, have you?"

"Yes. Several."

"Bloody hell."

Merlin stopped and turned to face Gwaine. "Why did you never tell me you knew?" Merlin sounded hurt. Of course he was—probably no one else knew his secret, besides Gaius. Gaius had to know.

"I told you," Gwaine said. "I thought if you wanted me to know, you'd tell me. It was obviously something you wanted to be a secret, so I figured I'd help you keep it."

Merlin scratched a hand through his hair. He seemed to be weighing what Gwaine had said. How would he take that if he was Merlin? He didn’t know how much help Gaius had been or if he’d had anyone else to confide in. Maybe he should have said something to him earlier, to ease the pressure Merlin was obviously under. But what was done, was done. Merlin didn’t say anything.

"Besides," Gwaine said, trying to distract Merlin. "I thought you were probably using your magic for small things like chores, not for fighting dragons and sending brigands running for their lives." Merlin let out a bark of laughter that was half amused and half bitter.

"Oh, Gwaine. You have no idea." Merlin started walking again. Gwaine jogged ahead until he could face Merlin, walking backwards.

"So what  _have_  you been doing?" Gwaine asked. "When'd you actually start up with all the—" He waved his hand again like he had at the bandits, to indicate magic.

"I didn't 'start up'," Merlin said, shoving hands into his trouser pockets. "I've just always been like this. I didn't use it for much of anything when I was young, but since I got to Camelot I've used it mostly to keep Arthur alive. He needs all the help he can get."

"Why would you want to do that though? Keep Arthur safe," he clarified. "The Pendragons aren't exactly the biggest advocates for your people."

Merlin shrugged. "Doesn't mean I wanted him dead," he said. "Besides, the first time I saved his life it was from a woman intending to murder Uther's son because he'd executed hers. It wasn't because of anything  _Arthur_  did. It was just a senseless killing of an innocent person." Merlin huffed a laugh. "Even if he was an ass and I wanted nothing to do with him, I wasn't going to let him die when I was the only one who could save him.

"And after that . . . well," Merlin shrugged. "I choose to protect him for the same reason you choose to follow him as you would never follow any another; he's a good man and a great king. Even through the unbearable prattishness, it didn't take me too long to catch onto that."

Gwaine watched him for a moment, weighing what he’d just heard. Then he nodded and turned to walk forward again. "So," he said after a while, "dragons, huh?"

"Yeah, dragons," Merlin laughed.

"More than one?"

"Nah, the same dragon more than once."

"How'd that happen?"

"Surely you've heard stories of the Great Dragon's attack on Camelot," Merlin said. "You can't have been a knight in Camelot for almost two years without hearing stories."

"Eh, maybe a few ones, but none of those knights were there," Gwaine said. "I want the firsthand experience."

"Leon was there."

"Leon's a horrible storyteller. Dry as a bone, sounds like he's reading a report to the council," Gwaine shuddered. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Big dragon swooping around, lots of fire, screaming and death and destruction all around," Merlin replied. "Wasn't a whole lot of fun to be had, honestly."

"Alright, fair enough there. But still, I'll bet you tell the tale better than stodgy old Leon. When you try, that is."

"I've got plenty of fun magic stories, Gwaine," Merlin said. "That just doesn't happen to be one of them."

"Oh, do you?" Gwaine said, much more intrigued. He turned to walk backwards again and Merlin rolled his eyes, smiling. "Then it's a good thing we've got a long walk back because you're going to tell me every single one."

Merlin opened his mouth and began. This was not going to be a normal walk. This time, he’d hear about the real Merlin. And when he was don’t Gwaine would know a whole lot more about his friend.


End file.
